An explanation of the theory of virtue ethics by aristotle

We can also compare these goods with other things that are desirable in themselves—pleasure, friendship, honor, and so on—and ask whether any of them is more desirable than the others.

Among the gods, all justice is presumably immutable, but in our world, all things are subject to change, but there is only one natural form of government, namely the best. Aristotle describes the relevant aspect of prudence as a sort of perception or intuitive understanding of the right aspects of particular situations Nicomachean Ethics VI 8, He makes it clear that certain emotions spite, shamelessness, envy and actions adultery, theft, murder are always wrong, regardless of the circumstances a8— Still, Aristotle agrees with Socrates in believing that ignorance is an important component of a correct explanation of incontinence, because no one can act contrary to a correct decision fully accepted at the very moment of incontinent action.

The soul is analyzed into a connected series of capacities: If I think I am happy then I am—it is not something I can be wrong about barring advanced cases of self-deception. Can we, then, only call a life happy after it has ended?

The Soul and Psychology Soul is defined by Aristotle as the perfect expression or realization of a natural body.

In theory, resolving particular applied ethical issues should be easy. For as we have seen, he gives a reasoned defense of his conception of happiness as virtuous activity. He may believe that this relation of the principles to appearances justifies us in accepting them as first principles and in claiming to have understanding of them.

The most important distinguishing factor has to do with how motivations and dispositions are taken to matter for the purposes of explaining other normative qualities. He went on to say, "the account of particular cases is yet more lacking in exactness; for they do not fall under any art or precept, but the agents themselves must in each case consider what is appropriate to the occasion".

Such a chief end is universally called happiness. The two accounts are broadly similar. Human happiness does not consist in every kind of pleasure, but it does consist in one kind of pleasure—the pleasure felt by a human being who engages in theoretical activity and thereby imitates the pleasurable thinking of god.

Those who work with pleasure show better judgement and greater precision. Some virtue ethicists respond to the adequacy objection by rejecting the assumption that virtue ethics ought to be in the business of providing an account of right action in the first place. However, once good relationships have given rise to obligations, those obligations take on a life of their own.

Though he is guided to some degree by distinctions captured by ordinary terms, his methodology allows him to recognize states for which no names exist. All of the normal difficulties of ethical life remain, and they can be solved only by means of a detailed understanding of the particulars of each situation.

As with liberality, it seems that honour may be desired more than is right, or less. It also includes the ability to apprehend that there are intelligibly impossible changes. Aristotle tells us that virtues, as constituents of happiness, are acquired through habituation.

In his view, infinite divisibility requires a series that can always be continued, but does not require the actual existence of an infinitely long series. Self-indulgence is childish, and just as the obedient child should live as his tutor directs, so the temperate man should be guided in his passions by his rational intellect.

Critics point out limitations in both of these aspects.Aristotle (— B.C.E.) Aristotle is a towering figure in ancient Greek philosophy, making contributions to logic, metaphysics, mathematics, physics, biology, botany, ethics, politics, agriculture, medicine, dance and mi-centre.com was a student of Plato who in turn studied under Socrates.

He was more empirically-minded than Plato or Socrates and is famous for rejecting Plato's theory of forms. Aristotle of Stagira Nicomachean Ethics Squashed down to read in about 60 minutes "If it is in our power to act nobly, it is also in our power to do evil.".

The ethics of Socrates is briefly outlined. Philosophy Ethics The Ethics of Socrates. Abstract: The ethics of Socrates is briefly outlined. The Innovation Journal: The Public Sector Innovation Journal, 6(2),article 2. Applying Virtue Ethics to the Challenge of Corruption ()Charles Garofalo Department of Political Science.

1. Preliminaries. In the West, virtue ethics’ founding fathers are Plato and Aristotle, and in the East it can be traced back to Mencius and Confucius.

Peter looks at one of Aristotle’s most popular works, the Nicomachean Ethics, and its ideas about happiness and virtue.